Bread and Circuses (TOS episode)

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Star Trek: TOS episode
"Bread and Circuses"
Kirk, Spock, and McCoy in "Magna Roma", Bread and Circuses.
Episode no.	54
Prod. code	60343
Airdate	March 15, 1968
Writer(s)	John Kneubuhll
Director	Ralph Senensky
Guest star(s)	William Smithers Logan Ramsey Ian Wolfe Rhodes Reason Lois Jewell Bart LaRue Jack Perkins (actor) Max Kleven Paul Baxley Bob Orrison William Bramley Paul Stader Tom Steele (actor) Gil Perkins Eddie Paskey William Blackburn Roger Holloway Frank da Vinci
Year	2268
Stardate	4040.7
Episode chronology
Previous	"The Ultimate Computer"
Next	"Assignment: Earth"

"Bread and Circuses" is a second season episode of Star Trek: The Original Series, broadcast on March 15, 1968. It is episode #43, written by Gene Roddenberry, and Gene L. Coon, based on a story by John Kneubuhl, and directed by Ralph Senensky. Its name is a reference to the phrase "bread and circuses".

Quick Overview: Captain Kirk and his companions are forced to fight in gladiatorial games on a planet modeled after the Roman Empire.

On stardate 4040.7, the starship USS Enterprise, commanded by Captain James T. Kirk, is on routine patrol when it encounters the wreckage of the SS Beagle, a survey vessel lost six years earlier. The Beagle was under the command of Captain R.M. Merrik, whom Kirk knew during his academy days. Mr. Spock traces the path of debris back to the ship's point of origin, near the fourth planet in the previously unexplored FGC 892 System.

The Enterprise soon picks up an old-style television broadcast, with black and white video footage of what appears to be a Roman gladiatorial fight in an arena. One of the gladiators appears to be William Harrison, one of the Beagle's flight crew.

Kirk forms a landing party, consisting of himself, Mr. Spock, and chief medical officer, Dr. McCoy, and beams down to the planet to investigate. Soon afterward they are captured by rifle-toting men who are revealed to be escaped slaves. They bring the party before their leader Septimus. McCoy claims they are "men of peace" and Septimus asks them if they are "children of the Son", which McCoy takes as Sun worship. He replies the crew represent many beliefs. Septimus claims to be a former Senator until he heard the "words of the Son" and was made a slave. He decides the landing party poses no threat and shows them hospitality. One of the other slaves, Flavius, would rather just kill the landing party.

As Kirk pages through a gladiatorial magazine, he astounded to find the cultural development of 892 IV, called "Magna Roma" by the inhabitants, is so similar to that of the ancient Roman Empire back in Earth's history, but mixed with mid 20th Century technology. He refers to Hodgkin's Law, and the theory of Parallel Planet Development, where the two worlds developed the same but somehow the Roman Empire never fell, and took over the world. McCoy doesn't understand why they all worship the Sun however, since (he states incorrectly), Ancient Rome "had no Sun worshippers."

Kirk also finds uncanny similarities in one of the culture's leaders; Merricus the First Citizen of the Empire, to Captain Merrik of the Beagle and believes they are one and the same. Kirk explains to some of the slaves that he wants to meet this Merricus. Flavius then offers to help and leads Kirk to Rome; the capital city. The landing team puts on slaves uniforms, (grey tee-shirts with a chain symbol on the chest), and tries to sneak into the city. Along the way, Flavius explains how he was once the greatest gladiator until he too heard the words of the Son.

They are soon captured by Roman guards (who appear like a police state riot squad), and are placed into the slave pens. Kirk asks Flavius about the culture's institution of slavery. He discovers that a slave who performs well earns health benefits and if he survives long enough, is also compensated in the end with retirement benefits and prestige. McCoy and Spock get into another argument about logic and Flavius asks if the two are enemies. Kirk replies that "they don't even know". Kirk asks Flavius how long ago the slaves started worshipping the Sun and Flavius says as long ago as the founding of the empire.

Later, the landing party makes an escape attempt while the guards lead them to meet Merricus. Merricus however, has anticipated their escape and has forces waiting to apprehend them. Once again, the party is taken prisoner and they stand before Merricus and the Proconsul Claudius Marcus who dismiss the guards and invite the landing team to sit and talk in private.

There, Merricus admits that he is Captain Merrik. He explains his ship was severely damaged in a meteor shower and he stopped at 892 IV for repairs. When he beamed down, he met Claudius Marcus who demanded that word of the planet's culture not be divulged to the Federation for risk of cultural contamination. Merrik decided to stay and put whatever crewmen who refused to remain behind into the gladiatorial pits where they would certainly be killed. Merrik then informs Kirk that word of the planet's society must not leak off world, and that the Enterprise crew must also remain behind. He tells Kirk to order the crew to abandon the ship and integrate into Magna Roma's culture.

Although he is threatened at gunpoint by armed guards, Kirk refuses Merrik's demands and instead he radios Mr. Scott a "condition green"; indicating he's in trouble, but to not attempt a rescue. Angered, Merrik sends Spock and McCoy into the arena for Kirk's defiance.

Spock and McCoy must face off Flavius and another gladiator, Achilles, under a set of studio lights, television cameras, and an obviously fake backdrop of a Roman combat arena. The whole scene looks more like a violent game show. The battle begins as Spock quickly overpowers his opponent, and when McCoy is in trouble, Spock nerve pinches his assailant ending the fight to a hail of boos and hisses from a "pre-recorded" crowd. Spock and McCoy are taken back to the slave pens and Kirk is taken to stand execution which will be televised live.

Kirk goes to his room where a woman, Drusilla, is waiting for him and says she is his slave. Elsewhere, Spock and McCoy are placed in another cell. McCoy tries to thank Spock for saving him in the arena, but Spock shrugs him off. McCoy tells Spock he really does care, but is just afraid to show it. Kirk meanwhile, eats and talks with Drusilla and then goes to bed with her. Marcus later explains that he arranged it all because he respects Kirk as a real man, equal to the Romans, and wanted him to enjoy his last hours as a man.

In the meantime, Mr. Scott works on a way to disrupt power and communications on the planet while obeying the Prime Directive not to interfere with a planet's society. He blacks out the city just before Kirk's execution. In the diversion, Kirk frees Spock and McCoy but is soon captured again. Merrik however, does something unexpected, and radios the Enterprise to have Kirk and his party beamed back. Before he can complete the message, Marcus kills him for his treachery. Scotty understands the message and the landing party dematerializes just as they face a hail of machine gun fire.

Back on the ship, Kirk commends Scotty. Spock expresses curiosity to Kirk and McCoy as to why the slave "Sun" worshipers seemed to adhere to a philosophy of peace, as historic sun worship was usually only a religion of superstition, with no philosophy behind it. Uhura, who's been monitoring radio transmissions from the planet, informs them that the worshippers were apparently actually referring to a "son," rather than "sun," as in, "son of god." Kirk replies in realization: "Caesar ... and Christ; they had them both," referring to a historical figure of war, and a historical, messianic figure of peace, making obvious note of the continued parallels of this planet's history to Earth history. Kirk remarks that it would be interesting to observe this period of time on the planet below.

[edit] Trivia

• Some fans have speculated that Captain R.M. Merrik was gay, based on a reference made by Marcus right before he kills him, about the Captain not being a "real man." This might tie into the ancient Roman view of homosexuality. However, the straightforward reading would simply be that Marcus despises Merrik as a weakling and coward (for allowing himself to be dictated to and having his crew killed off).

• A blooper from this episode contains perhaps the most hilarious misspoken line in Star Trek history. The director of the television broadcast was supposed to say, "If they refuse to move out on cue, skewer them!" Instead, he said, "screw them!"

• Another blooper is that Marcus insignia is not that of the Roman Empire — Romulus and Remus above SPQR — but is the coat of arms of William Shakespeare!

• This episode, along with "The Paradise Syndrome", "Wink of an Eye" and "The Mark of Gideon" possibly insinuates that Captain Kirk has had sex between scenes as the Proconsul claims he gave Captain Kirk one final moment "as a man" after we see Kirk asleep following an implied romantic encounter.

• Supposedly this is a planet based on earth's Roman Empire-yet the people speak English. The Languages of the real Roman Empire were Latin and Greek.

• The guns the Roman guards weilded were the guns the Nazis had in "Patterns of Force".

[edit] External links

• Bread and Circuses at StarTrek.com
• Five-Minute Bread and Circuses — Parody version

Last produced: "The Trouble with Tribbles"	Star Trek: TOS episodes Season 2	Next produced: "Journey to Babel"
Last transmitted: "The Ultimate Computer"		Next transmitted: "Assignment: Earth"